1st World Bank-GWU-UVA Research Conference on “The Economics of Sustainable Development”
Wed, 29 November, 2023
8:00am - 7:30pm
The World Bank, in collaboration with George Washington University (GWU) and the University of Virginia (UVA), will host the 1st World Bank-GWU-UVA Conference on “The Economics of Sustainable Development”.
This hybrid conference will be held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC on November 29, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET and available via livestream. Coffee and lunch will be provided for in-person attendees. The conference will be followed by a reception at GWU from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET.
The conference will bring together academics and development economics practitioners to present and discuss pressing questions relating to sustainable development, a theme that is central to the World Bank’s mission of tackling poverty on a liveable planet.
This theme is of increasing importance due to the growing recognition that a commitment to development and tackling poverty is unviable without an equal commitment to the urgency of addressing climate change, pollution, and environmental degradation.
The conference will cover various topics, including biodiversity and forests, the economics of natural resources, and pollution. Furthermore, given Africa’s heavy reliance on renewable natural resources and its vulnerability to climate change impacts, there will be a particular focus on frontier work related to Africa.
Supported by the GW University Seminar Series on Domestic and International Perspectives on Climate Change and Water Management.
Conference Agenda
Welcoming remarks 8.00-8.15
Richard Damania (Chief Economist for Sustainable Development, World Bank) – 5 min
Andrew Dabalen (Chief Economist for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), World Bank) – 5 min
Sheetal Sekhri (UVA) or Molly Lipscomb (UVA) – 1 min
Remi Jedwab (GWU) – 1 min
Session 1 – 8.15-10.00 – Biodiversity and Forests
Each paper has 20 min without interruptions + 10 min Q&A
8.15-8.45 Paper 1: Raahil Madhok (Minnesota), Infrastructure, Institutions, and the Conservation of Biodiversity in India [South Asia]
8.45-9.15 Paper 2: Teevrat Garg (UCSD), Agricultural Productivity and Deforestation [SSA]
9.15-9.45 Paper 3: Anna Papp (Columbia), Rain Follows the Forest: Land Use Policy, Climate Change, and Adaptation [North America]
9.45-10.00 Policy discussion: Nancy Lozano Gracia (Lead Economist, Latin America and the Caribbean, Sustainable Development Practice Group, World Bank)
Coffee Break – 10.00-10.30
Session 2 – 10.30-12.15 – The Economics of Natural Resources
Chair: Richard Damania (Chief Economist, Sustainable Development Practice Group, World Bank)
Each paper has 20 min without interruptions + 10 min Q&A
10.30-11.00 Paper 1: Wolfram Schlenker (Columbia), Cooling Externality of Large-Scale Irrigation [North America]
11.00-11.30 Paper 2: Ryan Brown (CU-Denver), Reinforcing Inequality: Consequences of Elevated Fluoride Exposure and Inequitable Mitigation [South Asia]
11.30-12.00 Paper 3: Witold Więcek (University of Chicago), Water Treatment and Child Mortality: A Meta-Analysis and Cost-effectiveness Analysis.
12.00-12.15 Policy discussion: Hanan Jacoby (Lead Economist, Sustainability and Infrastructure Team, Development Research Group, World Bank)
Lunch Break – 12.15-1.00
Keynote – 1.00-2.00
1.00-1.05 Introduction
1.05-1.35 Keynote – Andrew Foster (Brown)
1.35-1.55 Policy discussion
Session 3 – 2.00-3.15 Climate Change in Africa and Asia
Chair: Andrew Dabalen (Chief Economist, Africa Region, World Bank)
Each paper has 12 min without interruptions + 8 min Q&A
2.00-2.20 Paper 1: Lucile Laugerette (F) (ENS-Lyon) and Mathieu Couttenier (M) (ENS-Lyon) – Groundwater, Climate Change and Conflict: Evidence from Africa [SSA]
2.20-2.40 Paper 2: Bruno Conte (M) (UPF) – Future Climate Change and Sub-Saharan Africa’s Regional Lake Economies [SSA]
2.40-3.00 Paper 3: Gaurav Chiplunkar (M) (UVA) – Environmental Markets and Misallocation: Evidence from Ground Water Availability in India [South Asia]
3.00-3.15 Policy discussion: Carolyn Fischer (Research Manager, Sustainability and Infrastructure Team, Development Research Group of the World Bank)
Coffee Break – 3.15-3.40
Session 4 – 3.40-5.45 – Air Pollution
Chair: Dina Umali-Deininger (Regional Director for South Asia, Sustainable Development Practice Group, World Bank)
3.40-4.00 Introductory presentation: Christa Hasenkopf (EPIC, University of Chicago): Insights from the latest Air Quality Life Index report, with a specific focus on sub-Saharan Africa [SSA]
Each of the following three papers has 20 min without interruptions + 10 min Q&A
4.00-4.30 Koichiro Ito (Chicago). International Spillover Effects of Air Pollution: Evidence from Mortality and Health Data. [EAP]
4.30-5.00 Saad Gulzar (M) (Princeton). Administrative Incentives Impact Crop-Residue Burning and Health in South Asia. [South Asia]
5.00-5.30 Susanna Berkouwer (Wharton): Private Actions in the Presence of Externalities: The Health Impacts of Reducing Air Pollution Peaks but not Ambient Exposure
5.30-5.45 Policy discussion: Helena Naber (Senior Environmental Specialist, Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, World Bank)